Pope John Paul II High School graduates its third senior class

Graduates enter the Pope John Paul II High School auditorium for their commencement ceremony Wednesday, June 5, 2013. (Photo by Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury)

UPPER PROVIDENCE — ­“The future belongs to you, as you are the leaders of tomorrow.”

These words, attributed to Pope John Paul II, greeted the 186 members of Pope John Paul II High School’s third graduating class from a giant screen as they processed into the Upper Providence school’s auditorium.

The graduates were also met by a packed auditorium of relatives, friends and faculty Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.

Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, in his address to the graduates, said that the two problems that worry him most about the future are relativism and individualism, but that “the antidote is a sense of community.”

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“One of the roles of a Catholic school is to teach that sense of community,” Chaput said. “Pope John Paul II changed the world and it’s my hope that you do the same.”

Optimism and excitement over the Class of 2013’s future was a recurring theme throughout the ceremony.

In her address to the graduates, Principal Sister Janet Purcell noted events that characterized the senior class’ school year including the prom, talent show, and, she joked, “many events that I have no knowledge about.”

Purcell went on to thank the parents of the graduating class for the financial sacrifice of attending a private school and the students for building a community at Pope John Paul II High School.

Ninety-eight percent of the graduating class will attend universities including the University of Pennsylvania, Boston College, and Notre Dame University to study subjects ranging from cello performance to chemical engineering.

One percent of the class will join the U.S. Air Force, and one percent will join the work force.

Members of the graduating class received a total of 109 scholarships and grants, a sum of more than $14 million.

As the school opened three years ago, the graduates attended either Pope Pius X or Kennedy-Kenrick High School for their freshman year. Salutatorian Kaleigh DiFilippo noted in her speech that this additional transition helped to “unify the class of 2013 that we are today.”

Valedictorian Kerry Milligan also said that having to adapt to a new school environment as sophomores was a benefit to the graduates’ high school experience.

“Everything we’ve learned has been about one lesson — conquering new beginnings,” Milligan said.